Honey



(No Model.)

W. P. MARTIN.

GONDENSING ENGINE.

Patented Dec. 8

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UNITED STATES Parana" @rrrcn.

WILLIAM F. MARTIN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIAIASSIGNOR,OF

THREE-FOURTHS TO JAMES SCOTT, JOHN ALBIZITTI, AND JOHN J. MA-

HONEY, ALL OF SAME PLACE.

CONDENSlNG-ENGBNE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 331,984, dated December 8, 1885.

Application filed August 3,1885. Serial No. 173,369. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, 'WILLIAM F.1VIARTIN, a citizen of the United States, residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certain Improvements in Condensing Engines, of

which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to construct a condensing-engine in such a manner that the vacuum may be controlled, the power exerted being in proportion to the work to be done by the engine, and this object I attain in the manner which I will now proceed to describe, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a side view of an engine constructed in accordance with my invention; and Fig. 2 anlenlarged side view of the cylinder, showing the valve operating devices more fully than Fig. 1.

The engine, valves, and valve-gear may be constructed in a manner similar to an ordinary highpressure steam-engine, and in the drawings I have shown the engine provided with valve-gear of the well-known Corliss type, although it should be understood that my in vention is not limited to valve-gear of this character.

The exhaust-chest of the engine should be in communication, through a pipe, a, with a condenser of any suitable construction in which a partial vacuum is continuously maintained, and the cut-off gear is reversed, as compared with an ordinary high-pressure engine-that is to say, it is applied to the valves in the exhaust-chest, instead of to the inletvalves in the steam-chest, so that the communication of either end of the cylinder with the condenser may be cutoff at any desired point in the stroke of the piston.

In order to neutralize the vacuum in either end of the cylinder after the same has been cut off from the condenser, Iprovide said cylinder near each end with an air-valve, b, un der control of a weighted arm, (Z, which is 5 connected to a bell'crank lever, f, having a rod, 9, with tappeth, adapted for the action of a lug, i, on the rocker-arm A, forming part of the valve-gear of the engine, the tappets being adjustable, so that the air-valve at either 5o end of the cylinder may be opened immediately after the closing of the communication between said end of the cylinder and the condenser, or at any time between the closing of communication and ;the completion of the stroke.

In order to permit the quick closing of the air-valve, the rod 9 has 2. arm, m, which is acted upon by a pin, a, so that as the rod approaches the limit of its movement it will be lifted by the pin, the tappet it being finally 6o freed from the control of the lug i, and the weighted arm permitted to drop until the weight rests in the socket p, the valve being then closed. By this means I am enabled to cut off and neutralize the effectof the vacuum 6 5 at any desired point in the stroke of the engine in the same manner as the steam is cut olf in an ordinary high-pressure engine, and can therefore run the engine by vacuum and regulate the power of the engine in proportion to the work.

The steam may be under such low pressure or the passage through the steam-pipe throttled to such an extent that the steam simply serves to iill the cylinder in the rear of the piston without performing any material share in the work of the engine due to its pressure.

In fact, the steam may pass directly to the condenser without entering the cylinder of the engine, the partial vacuum in the condenser being relied upon as the effective agent for driving the engine, and air being admitted to that end of the cylinder opposite the one open to the condenser.

I claim as my invention 1. The combination of an engine having valved inlets, and an exhaust-chest communinicating with a condenser, and having exhaust-valves, Valve-gearing for operating said inlet and exhaust valves, and cut-off mechanism applied to the valves in the exhaustchest and under control of the governor of the engine, all substantially as specified.

2. The combination of the cylinder having valved inlets and an exhaust-chest communi- 5 eating with a condenser, and having exhaustvalves, valve-operating gear, cut-off mechanism acting on the exhaust-valves, and airinlet valves under control of the valve-gear, as specified.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

i/Vitnesses: WILLIAM F. MARTIN.

HENRY Howson, WILLIAM F. DAVIS. 

